Ways to replace carbs with cauliflower

Being on a low-carb diet doesn’t mean you need to forgo your favourite pizza or mac and cheese. There’s a “miracle” solution that might just surprise you – cauliflower.

Cauliflower is a surprisingly versatile vegetable. You would find that substituting your carbs with one of the world's healthiest foods is equally as yummy. Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It is also said to promote a healthy complexion and increased energy.

Here are some ingenious ways you could swop out your carbs for cauliflower:

Cauliflower fried ‘rice’

When you need a little bit of volume to complement your dishes, whip up a cauliflower fried “rice” portion, which can be put together in just a few steps.

Dice the cauliflower into couscous-sized bites using a food processor before stir-frying it with your usual fried rice ingredients. Season to taste according to your preferences. A head of cauliflower can provide about six servings of ‘rice’.

Photo: SportSG

Pizza with cauliflower crust

No flour needed! You do not need to go dough-heavy to enjoy some pizza. To make the pizza crust, chop up your cauliflower with a food processor and squeeze all the moisture out in a towel.

You will then get a cauliflower ball; combine it with mozzarella cheese and an egg, and knead it into a yummy crust like you would with a regular pizza.

Photo: SportSG

Cauliflower breadsticks

You can make “breadsticks” that are full of cheesy goodness and taste great without actually using bread.

Simply add the cauliflower into a food processor and pulse it a few times until the cauliflower resembles rice. Add eggs and cheese to hold the cauliflower together and you’ll get a nice firm crust after you’ve taken it out from the oven. You can also add any of your preferred spices.

The beauty of this cauliflower recipe is that you can’t really taste the cauliflower, but rather you’ll find that it tastes just like a regular breadstick.

Cauliflower ‘mac’ and cheese

Love mac and cheese but you don’t feel like stomaching the sin? Substituting your macaroni for cauliflower is actually an equally delicious option.

Cook the cauliflower in the boiling water until tender, then combine it with cheese, mustard, garlic and salt before baking the dish. Pop it into the oven and you’ll have a piping hot casserole that we bet everyone will love.
Cauliflower ‘popcorn’

You’d probably never thought raw vegetables would make a good movie snack, but if you are looking for a guilt-free movie night munch, raw cauliflower popcorn will do the trick.

Cut your cauliflower into bite-sized bits and toss them with olive oil, spices salt and nutritional yeast – voila! It might not taste particularly like popcorn but it is crunchy and flavourful, and will satisfy your urge to snack.